The Miracle Worker

In what seems to me to be far back in my childhood, I saw The Miracle Worker, and it made an indelible impression on me. So I was in no doubt that I had to see this drama when it was shown again.

The Miracle Worker is the moving story, based on real events, of how the blind and deaf Helen Keller learns to communicate with the outside world in the late nineteenth century. The girl lost her sight and hearing through illness as a small child. Her parents, a wealthy Southern couple, have given up on their daughter's development, but will not send her to an institution.

The turning point comes when the young teacher Anne Sullivan arrives at the Keller home as the family's last hope. She herself has been almost blind, but after several operations she is able to see and read. Anne Sullivan's methods are rather unconventional and do not go down well with Captain Keller, so after a while Anne is given just two weeks for her undertaking. In return, Anne demands that she and Helen be completely isolated from everyone else during that period. Only in this way can she make Helen dependent on her and dependent on learning. A magnificent and energetic scene that is often singled out is the long, gruelling physical and mental battle between teacher and pupil in the family dining room, where Anne tries to make Helen acquire table manners, such as eating with a knife and fork, like everyone else.

There is a good deal of melodrama, but also many emotions that come across as pure and authentic. Anne Bancroft is formidable as the stubborn Anne Sullivan, who has an unhappy childhood behind her but was saved by book learning. Yes, the film once again had me bawling my eyes out at the end; it has lost none of its power over time.